Rocky Mountain National Park encompasses and protects 415 square miles of mountain environments, with Trail Ridge Road cresting at over 12,000 feet and offering many overlooks into the subalpine and alpine worlds, along with over 300 miles of hiking trails, wildflowers, wildlife, starry nights, and seasonal experiences that range from winter cold, deep snow at higher elevations, and closures of facilities and roads, to spring’s unpredictable mix of warm sunny days, cool days, heavy snow and rain, and snow-covered trails, to summer’s warmer weather, thunderstorms, and wildflowers when most roads and facilities are open, and to fall’s crisp air, blue skies, fall colors, and the elk rut before Trail Ridge Road closes in mid-October.